Page 176 - SpringBoard_ELD_Grade8_Flipbook

Interact in meaningful Ways: analyze Precise diction
Learning Targets
• Adjust language choices according to social setting and audience. PI.8.4
• Evaluate and explain in conversation and writing how effectively the author uses
precise diction. PI.8.7 Precise Diction
Mark Tyler Nobleman, the author of “Made You Laugh,” has written an expository essay about humor. Although he includes a number of jokes as examples, his main purpose is to inform readers about the scientific study of humor. To do this, he uses a thoughtful tone. One way he achieves this tone is by using precise diction— verbs, adjectives, and nouns. In the following paragraph, for example, notice how precise nouns, such as function, rhythm, syllables, and sequence, help create the serious tone. Similarly, the adjectives biological, repetitive, and random are what we’d expect in a piece about a scientific study.
You may be saying to yourself, “Studying jokes? Is that science?” But plenty of smart people say yes. Laughter is a biological function. It has a certain rhythm; laughter syllables build, then trail off, and they come out in a repetitive, not random, sequence. For example, “ha-ha-ho-ho-he” is typical, but “ha-ho-ha- ho-ha” or “he-ho-he” just doesn’t happen.
Read these sentences from “Made You Laugh.” Underline one precise word in each sentence that shows the tone the author uses to write about a scientific study. Then write an original sentence using the underlined word.
aCTIVITy 1.6
aCademIC VoCabUlaRy
Precise diction is the choice of
clear and exact words that suit
the style and tone of a piece of
writing. The opposite of precise
diction is vague and confusing
word choice.
Sentence from “Made You Laugh”
Original Sentence
Babies begin to laugh instinctively when they’re about four months old.
Even rats, when tickled, make squeals that can be interpreted as laughter.
Those born blind and deaf also laugh, so laughter is not dependent on sight and hearing.
Authors and film actors do not often get immediate public feedback. But comics do.
Yet laughter is not always a planned response to a joke.
Unit 4 • The Challenge of Comedy • Part 1: Made You Laugh 153
language
Resources
Literary Terms
Diction: word choice; the way something is put into words Tone: an author’s attitude toward his or her subject Precise: exact; specific
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